Z-Wave Control Comes to Control4

By integrating Z-Wave technology, Control4 will be open to many more compatible devices.

Home automation/control company Control4 will be adding Z-Wave RF-based mesh network integration, thanks to a new Control4 driver from UK-based Extra Vegetables, which creates “side dishes” for Control4 and other automation systems.

The driver connects Control4 systems to the Vera2 home controller from Mi Casa Verde. Vera, a low-cost Z-Wave-enabled control system, has an enthusiastic following among do-it-yourselfers, but has never quite made it to the custom channel.

The new EV driver might be just the ticket. In essence, Vera provides a comprehensive and inexpensive ($238) Z-Wave gateway for Control4.

“By installing the Vera2 and the Extra Vegetables driver in a Control4 installation, the whole world of Z-Wave products and devices is suddenly made available,” according to EV.

Control4 has always maintained that ZigBee is a richer, more reliable mesh networking technology than Z-Wave. However, the company is also open to Z-Wave integration. The Z-Wave camp has far more compatible devices — garage door openers, thermostats, sensors, switches, plug-in modules, and the like — at prices that are generally lower than their ZigBee counterparts.

In 2009, The Z-Wave Alliance itself wrote a driver to integrate Control4 with its RF protocol, but the solution was just a proof of concept, and no one really proved it.

“More and more Z-Wave home automation, monitoring and control products are coming to market, providing cost-effective lighting, heating, energy monitoring and home security solutions,” says EV principal Jane Scotland. “This will really open up the choice of products available to Control4 dealers.”